A Letter From Italy Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AAAB BBAA AACC AADDEEAA AAAABBFF GGAAAA HHIIJJ BBAAAACCKKDDAABBLLMM BBAACCAAFFAANNBIOOCC AAKKPPAAQQRRSSTT AAOOPPOOOOAA OOAAOOAAUUAAOO OOUUOOGG AAOOLLVVAALLMAM OOWNOOBBAAAA OOOOOO OOLL

Salve magna parens frugum Saturnia tellusA
Magna vir m tibi res antiqu laudis et artisA
Aggredior sanctos ausus recludere fontesA
Virg GeorB
-
While you my Lord the rural shades admireB
And from Britannia's public posts retireB
Nor longer her ungrateful sons to pleaseA
For their advantage sacrifice your easeA
-
Me into foreign realms my fate conveysA
Through nations fruitful of immortal laysA
Where the soft season and inviting climeC
Conspire to trouble your repose with rhymeC
-
For wheresoe'er I turn my ravish'd eyesA
Gay gilded scenes and shining prospects riseA
Poetic fields encompass me aroundD
And still I seem to tread on classic groundD
For here the Muse so oft her harp has strungE
That not a mountain rears its head unsungE
Renown'd in verse each shady thicket growsA
And ev'ry stream in heavenly numbers flowsA
-
How am I pleas'd to search the hills and woodsA
For rising springs and celebrated floodsA
To view the Nar tumultuous in his courseA
And trace the smooth Clitumnus to his sourceA
To see the Mincio draw his wat'ry storeB
Through the long windings of a fruitful shoreB
And hoary Albula's infected tideF
O'er the warm bed of smoking sulphur glideF
-
Fir'd with a thousand raptures I surveyG
Eridanus through flowery meadows strayG
The king of floods that rolling o'er the plainsA
The towering Alps of half their moisture drainsA
And proudly swoln with a whole winter's snowsA
Distributes wealth and plenty where he flowsA
-
Sometimes misguided by the tuneful throngH
I look for streams immortaliz'd in songH
That lost in silence and oblivion lieI
Dumb are their fountains and their channels dryI
Yet run forever by the Muse's skillJ
And in the smooth description murmur stillJ
-
Sometimes to gentle Tiber I retireB
And the fam'd river's empty shores admireB
That destitute of strength derives its courseA
From thrifty urns and an unfruitful sourceA
Yet sung so often in poetic laysA
With scorn the Danube and the Nile surveysA
So high the deathless Muse exalts her themeC
Such was the Boin a poor inglorious streamC
That in Hibernian vales obscurely stray'dK
And unobserv'd in wild meanders play'dK
'Till by your lines and Nassau's sword renown'dD
Its rising billows through the world resoundD
Where e'er the hero's godlike acts can pierceA
Or where the fame of an immortal verseA
Oh could the Muse my ravish'd breast inspireB
With warmth like yours and raise an equal fireB
Unnumber'd beauties in my verse should shineL
And Virgil's Italy should yield to mineL
See how the golden groves around me smileM
That shun the coast of Britain's stormy isleM
Or when transplanted and preserv'd with careB
Curse the cold clime and starve in northern airB
Here kindly warmth their mounting juice fermentsA
To nobler tastes and more exalted scentsA
Ev'n the rough rocks with tender myrtle bloomC
And trodden weeds send out a rich perfumeC
Bear me some god to Baia's gentle seatsA
Or cover me in Umbria's green retreatsA
Where western gales eternally resideF
And all the seasons lavish all their prideF
Blossoms and fruits and flowers together riseA
And the whole year in gay confusion liesA
Immortal glories in my mind reviveN
And in my soul a thousand passions striveN
When Rome's exalted beauties I descryB
Magnificent in piles of ruin lieI
An amphitheatre's amazing heightO
Here fills my eye with terror and delightO
That on its public shows unpeopled RomeC
And held uncrowded nations in its wombC
Here pillars rough with sculpture pierce the skiesA
And here the proud triumphal arches riseA
Where the old Romans deathless acts display'dK
Their base degenerate progeny upbraidK
Whole rivers here forsake the fields belowP
And wond'ring at their height through airy channels flowP
Still to new scenes my wand'ring Muse retiresA
And the dumb show of breathing rocks admiresA
Where the smooth chisel all its force has shownQ
And soften'd into flesh the rugged stoneQ
In solemn silence a majestic bandR
Heroes and gods the Roman consuls standR
Stern tyrants whom their cruelties renownS
And emperors in Parian marble frownS
While the bright dames to whom they humbly su'dT
Still show the charms that their proud hearts subdu'dT
-
Fain would I Raphael's godlike art rehearseA
And show th' immortal labours in my verseA
Where from the mingled strength of shade and lightO
A new creation rises to my sightO
Such heav'nly figures from his pencil flowP
So warm with life his blended colours glowP
From theme to theme with secret pleasure tostO
Amidst the soft variety I'm lostO
Here pleasing airs my ravish'd soul confoundO
With circling notes and labyrinths of soundO
Here domes and temples rise in distant viewsA
And opening palaces invite my MuseA
-
How has kind Heav'n adorn'd the happy landO
And scatter'd blessings with a wasteful handO
But what avail her unexhausted storesA
Her blooming mountains and her sunny shoresA
With all the gifts that heav'n and earth impartO
The smiles of nature and the charms of artO
While proud oppression in her valleys reignsA
And tyranny usurps her happy plainsA
The poor inhabitant beholds in vainU
The red'ning orange and the swelling grainU
Joyless he sees the growing oils and winesA
And in the myrtle's fragrant shade repinesA
Starves in the midst of nature's bounty curstO
And in the loaden vineyard dies for thirstO
-
Oh Liberty thou goddess heavenly brightO
Profuse of bliss and pregnant with delightO
Eternal pleasures in thy presence reignU
And smiling plenty leads thy wanton trainU
Eas'd of her load subjection grows more lightO
And poverty looks cheerful in thy sightO
Thou mak'st the gloomy face of Nature gayG
Giv'st beauty to the sun and pleasure to the dayG
-
Thee goddess thee Britannia's Isle adoresA
How has she oft exhausted all her storesA
How oft in fields of death thy presence soughtO
Nor thinks the mighty prize too dearly boughtO
On foreign mountains may the sun refineL
The grape's soft juice and mellow it to wineL
With citron groves adorn a distant soilV
And the fat olive swell with floods of oilV
We envy not the warmer clime that liesA
In ten degrees of more indulgent skiesA
Nor at the coarseness of our heaven repineL
Tho' o'er our heads the frozen Pleiads shineL
'Tis Liberty that crowns Britannia's IsleM
And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountainsA
smileM
-
Others with towering piles may please the sightO
And in their proud aspiring domes delightO
A nicer touch to the stretch'd canvas giveW
Or teach their animated rocks to liveN
'Tis Britain's care to watch o'er Europe's fateO
And hold in balance each contending stateO
To threaten bold presumptuous kings with warB
And answer her afflicted neighbours' pray'rB
The Dane and Swede rous'd up by fierce alarmsA
Bless the wise conduct of her pious armsA
Soon as her fleets appear their terrors ceaseA
And all the northern world lies hush'd in peaceA
-
Th' ambitious Gaul beholds with secret dreadO
Her thunder aim'd at his aspiring headO
And fain her godlike sons would disuniteO
By foreign gold or by domestic spiteO
But strives in vain to conquer or divideO
Whom Nassau's arms defend and counsels guideO
-
Fir'd with the name which I so oft have foundO
The distant climes and different tongues resoundO
I bridle in my struggling Muse with painL
That longs to launch inL

Joseph Addison



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